Cartwheel Care Inc., a forward-thinking startup focused on youth mental health services, has successfully raised $20 million in Series A funding. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cartwheel Care is committed to transforming youth mental health care by partnering with school systems to offer timely and accessible services, without the often-dreaded waitlists associated with traditional mental health care.
Founded in 2022 by CEO Joe English, Dr. Juliana Chen (Chief Medical Officer), and Daniel Tartakovsky (Chief Operations Officer), Cartwheel Care has rapidly positioned itself as a leader in bridging the mental health care gap for young people. By offering digital services that provide one-on-one or group therapy, medication support, and family assistance, Cartwheel Care aims to make mental health services more accessible to children and adolescents who might otherwise struggle to find appropriate care.
A standout feature of Cartwheel Care’s approach is its promise of a no-waitlist system. According to CEO Joe English, the company commits to having appointments for families within seven to 10 days of a referral from the school—sometimes even sooner. This quick turnaround is crucial, as delays in accessing youth mental health services can worsen conditions and create further barriers to treatment. By offering timely care, Cartwheel is helping students, families, and school systems respond faster to mental health needs, preventing issues from escalating.
The Series A funding round was led by Menlo Ventures, with notable participation from Reach Capital, General Catalyst, BoxGroup, and Able Partners. General Catalyst, in particular, has been heavily involved in behavioral health investments, including a recent round for Equip, an eating disorder treatment provider. This strategic investment underscores the growing recognition of the need for accessible, integrated youth mental health services, especially for youth. Menlo Ventures’ Greg Yap emphasized that Cartwheel’s model, which works directly with schools, enables early intervention and strengthens coordination between parents, school administrators, and mental health professionals, ultimately enhancing engagement and improving outcomes for students.
Currently, Cartwheel Care partners with about 50 school systems in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Illinois, and Rhode Island. Through these partnerships, school counselors serve as a bridge between students and Cartwheel’s services, referring children and families to the platform for specialized youth mental health services. The company offers a range of services, including one-on-one therapy, group therapy, medication management, and family therapy. Each partner school system is assigned a clinically licensed program manager to ensure smooth coordination and support for both the students and the school administrators. These program managers play a key role in case management, parent engagement, staff training, and answering any daily operational questions, ensuring that the services run efficiently.
To further assist with the logistical aspects of accessing care, Cartwheel Care employs care coordinators who help families navigate scheduling, insurance, and referrals for additional services. By easing these burdens, Cartwheel Care helps remove some of the obstacles that often prevent families from accessing essential youth mental health services.
One of the reasons Cartwheel Care’s model is gaining traction is its ability to tap into existing systems. The company is in-network with commercial health plans and state Medicaid programs, which allows families to access services through their insurance coverage. By blending funding from school districts and health insurers, Cartwheel is positioning itself to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of its services. Daniel Tartakovsky explained that the company is helping superintendents and other school officials secure a model that will endure even as federal COVID relief funding expires and school budgets tighten. He believes this approach could serve as a blueprint for how districts across the country can form long-term, sustainable school-community partnerships.
In many ways, Cartwheel Care is part of a larger movement of startups aiming to address the growing mental health crisis facing U.S. youth. The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) paints a sobering picture of youth mental health in the U.S. Approximately 40% of high school students report feeling persistently sad or hopeless, while roughly one-third of students say their mental health is poor. These numbers represent a concerning increase over the past decade. Further, nearly 165 million Americans live in areas designated as mental health provider shortage areas, underscoring the critical need for accessible youth mental health services.
The need for innovation in pediatric mental health care is clear, and Cartwheel Care’s ability to address this gap is resonating with investors and the wider mental health community. Steve Kupfer, a partner at Reach Capital, reflected on the growing demand for services like those offered by Cartwheel, stating, “We’ve reached a tipping point in a mental health crisis that is overwhelming parents, schools, and community-based providers. Through care coordination, parent engagement, and a versatile team of licensed clinicians, Cartwheel will provide indispensable relief to communities across the country.”
While raising the Series A funding round, English shared some of the excitement and challenges that came with navigating this crucial phase of the company’s growth. He noted that while schools are widely recognized as central to children’s lives, they are often overlooked as potential partners for service innovations like those Cartwheel is bringing to the table. Despite this, English sees the enthusiasm from schools and communities as one of Cartwheel’s greatest assets. In its first year, Cartwheel did not employ an outbound sales function, instead growing organically through word-of-mouth referrals between neighboring districts. This grassroots excitement has been pivotal to Cartwheel’s success and has sparked interest among investors, particularly those in healthcare who have struggled to break into the school system as a channel for youth mental health services.
The company’s model also aligns well with school budgeting cycles, which has further facilitated its expansion. By establishing strong relationships with school districts early on, Cartwheel Care is positioning itself to grow rapidly and sustainably, offering solutions to the many challenges schools face in addressing mental health needs.
With this substantial Series A funding, Cartwheel Care is poised to scale its operations, expand its service offerings, and ultimately help more families access the youth mental health services they need. By focusing on school systems as partners, Cartwheel Care is working to ensure that timely and effective mental health care becomes a more accessible reality for children across the nation, providing much-needed relief to communities facing an overwhelming mental health crisis. The startup’s innovative approach has the potential to reshape how mental health care is delivered to youth, ultimately improving outcomes for countless children and families nationwide.
